The final report on the tragic slaughter of four of our RCMP constables at Mayerthorpe been concluded.
The finding was “Little could have been done to prevent the murder of four Alberta Mounties.”
Such nonsense! The horrendous loss could have been easily averted had we had a proper functioning justice system.
Having read Roszko’s police report, I am convinced that at the time of the great tragedy, Roszko should have been in jail, serving a life sentence for his previous sordid offences.
Minister of Justice Ron Stevens stated to the media seven months after the tragedy that he wanted a full length disclosure of criminal history of James Roszko. He said the public should know what happened and that Alberta will continue to be at the forefront of discussions with provincial and federal counterparts to strengthen the Criminal Code to insure criminals get the punishment they deserve. He selected Peter Wong, the Chief Crown Prosecutor, Calgary, to conduct this review
A Report on James Michael Roszko’s Prosecution History, prepared by Peter Wong was completed on Sept. 23, 2005.
A few highlights of the Roszko report:
*One count of uttering threats to cause death or serious bodily harm --- fined $200.
*Impersonating a police officer ---Acquitted.
*Roszko faced a number of accumulated charges and he got off with a ‘stay of proceedings’ as there was an error in the issuance of subpoenas for the witnesses.
*Nov. 15 - counseling Bradley to commit murder ---Dismissed.
*Offering Bradley $l0,000 to kill Conrad.---Dismissed.
*In 2001 Roszko was charged with five offenses in response to a 1999 incident in which he shot and wounded one man and missed a second. Those charges were dismissed in 2003.
And the list goes on and on.
How much has our judicial system improved since the inquiry?
We still need mandatory minimum sentences, reduced parole, changes regarding release after serving two-thirds of sentences, the effectiveness of conditional sentences, etc.
Audrey Jensen
Red Deer